A number of French consumer organisations have organised demonstrations for November 17, to protest the recent increase in petrol pump prices. But the French are far from paying the highest prices for fuel in Europe.  

France could find itself at a standstill on November 17 due to a call for protests against the increase in fuel prices. The call, however, doesn’t stem from any recognised social or political force. So why would this subject mobilise so many people in France, but not their European neighbours, who have also suffered the effects of the fuel price upsurge beginning in 2017? A 10-point explanation.

1) France is ranked just eighth for Europe’s super 95 pump prices, right in the middle of the eurozone ranking. Among western European countries, the differences are minimal in this regard.

2) For diesel, on the other hand, France is placed higher in the ranking, and prices are significantly higher than the eurozone average.

3) France is among the countries with the highest tax on super 95, alongside the Nordic countries, which have adopted strong incentive policies concerning carbon energy, and Southern European countries, which traditionally have tax systems based essentially on consumption taxes.

The fact that France is higher in this ranking than in that for pump prices would tend to indicate that French distributors aren’t exactly lining their pockets: fuel prices excluding taxes are relatively low in mainland France compared to neighbouring countries.

4) This leading position in regard to fuel taxation is even clearer when it comes to diesel, since many countries tend to tax diesel substantially less than petrol. That’s hardly the case in France.

5) This level of fuel taxation - higher than the European average - results from a substantial increase, two times greater than the average for super 95, starting in 2015, and the adoption of the law on energy transition promoted by Ségolène Royal. Conversely, taxes on super 95, in euro, have dropped significantly in the United Kingdom.